


Determinants

by UnderTheFridge



Category: Aliens (1986)
Genre: Androids, Crack, From An AI, Gen, I can think of no other instance of this pairing, Implied/Referenced Sex, M/M, Relationship Advice, Why Did I Write This?, clearly the best kind, sorry Artificial People
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-10-18 13:56:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10618344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnderTheFridge/pseuds/UnderTheFridge
Summary: “Hey. Can you… can you keep a secret?”Hudson has a confession to make, and Bishop is probably the only one he can trust with it....





	

“Hey, man.” Hudson creeps in through a side door and has a moment of indecision before he sits down, hunched on the stool like he’s trying to disappear. “Hey. Can you, ah… can you keep a secret?”

“It depends,” Bishop replies, without looking up.

“Depends on what?”

“What the secret is, and the implications it might have. If you told me, for instance, you were thinking of assassinating one of your commanding officers - there’s no way I could keep that confidential.”

Hudson clears his throat and looks away, and plays with a bit of loose edging on the corner of the bench. “It’s not that.”

“It’s something you’re absolutely sure I wouldn’t be obliged to tell anyone?”

“Yeah, sure. Yeah. Well, I, ah, it’s something I don’t  _ want _ you to tell anyone. Ok? You can do that, yeah?”

“If you want me to keep this secret - whatever it is - then it would take some very specific questioning for anyone to find out that I even  _ had _ a secret, much less what it was about. They’d have to be a very proficient robopsychologist.”

“Ok, so, ah…” he mumbles something shame-filled and inaudible.

Inaudible to a human, that is.

“I see.”

Hudson is mightily relieved that he won’t have to repeat it, so he just says “Yeah, you know. Yesterday.”

“So that’s what you were doing in the office.”

“I didn’t mean to, man!” Hudson cries. Bishop looks startled.

“But you and he both agreed to it, in a safe and responsible manner?”

“Who are you, my mom?” Hudson retorts, but it’s obvious that the concern is genuine. It’s never occurred to him before to find out how far the ‘preventing harm’ thing goes. “I… yeah, it’s ok, we were both… safe. But….”

“You regret it?”

“No, not really.” He taps a boot against the floor, folds his arms, then unfolds them and throws his hands up in frustration. “But c’mon, man! Him! Why’d it have to be  _ him _ ? I - y’know, I’m not even gay. At all. I like girls.”

All it takes is raised eyebrow to make him suddenly aware that synthetics have a sense of humour.

“ _ What _ ?”

“From what I hear, human sexuality is fairly dynamic.” Bishop holds up an unidentifiable piece of machinery and inspects it, then puts it down when no reply is forthcoming. “I’m sure you  _ do _ like girls. Under most circumstances.”

Hudson frowns and gazes at his knees. He hadn’t come for counselling, but he’s just been given romantic advice by a sentient machine. Quite a revelation.

“You’re telling me I’m going after guys now?”

“I’m suggesting to you that who you consider attractive might have a more complex set of determinants than you thought. I’m not going to judge you. I  _ can’t _ judge you.”

“How does something so wrong feel so good?” Hudson says, and wonders if he got that from a movie. Or a musical.

“It isn’t wrong. From what I understand, you acted on an attraction, in a safe and consensual manner. The only thing wrong with it is misuse of office furniture.”

“Hey,” Hudson looks up sharply, “we cleaned the desk, man. We’re not  _ animals _ .”


End file.
